Presidential candidate of the African Democratic Congress, Atiku Abubakar, has challenged President Bola Tinubu to make his records available for public scrutiny before reviving old allegations against him.
Atiku said he had already subjected himself to public scrutiny and insisted that renewed attempts to circulate allegations dating back to the administration of former President Olusegun Obasanjo were meant to distract Nigerians from the country’s current economic challenges.
The former vice president in a statement issued on Friday by his Senior Special Assistant on Public Communication, Phrank Shaibu, accused those defending the government of focusing on old political battles instead of addressing the hardship facing Nigerians.
“When those defending this government can no longer explain why food, transportation, electricity, rent, education, insecurity and healthcare are increasingly beyond the reach of ordinary families, they rummage through twenty-year-old files looking for an escape route,” the statement said.
Atiku argued that the allegations against him had already been investigated during his political dispute with the Obasanjo administration but did not lead to any conviction.
“During my disagreement with the Obasanjo administration, these allegations were investigated by the EFCC, an administrative panel, the National Assembly and the courts, but none of the processes resulted in my conviction. That is the record,” he said.
He challenged anyone with fresh evidence against him to present it through the legal process.
He said repeatedly making the same allegations did not amount to a conviction, adding that an acknowledgement stamp should not be treated as proof of guilt.
He challenged anyone with credible evidence against him to present it before the courts.
Atiku also referred to President Tinubu’s legal intervention in a United States court case involving requests for FBI and Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) records linked to him.
“While I am saying, bring out your evidence, Tinubu actually went to an American court to intervene in a case seeking FBI and DEA records concerning him,” Atiku said.
He argued that someone seeking privacy over his own records should not demand accountability from others while resisting similar scrutiny.
Atiku also warned against using the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission for political purposes.
According to him, the anti-graft agency belongs to the country, not to any individual or political party.
He maintained that the 2027 elections should be decided by performance rather than recycled political controversies.
